Ross Tulloch

I agree to most of the wise words and comments above. I’m not sure why if you bought something that you can’t personally deal with but the answer particularly in the first two or three replies could yield very good results with minimal effort. If it gets nasty-definitely use an eviction expert.... Read More

I think David is absolutely right. In the first instance I would go and talk to the tenant and see what the situation is. Quite often things can be resolved simply with consultation. You may find there is an actual huge problem but quite likely and hopefully not.... Read More

The constant talk about rent controls made us change from not generally increasing rents to doing so every year gently. So yet another reason Rent controls are bad for tenants... Read More

I have just done 3 properties again, 3 years ago they were C and again C much to my amazement. Hoping they bring in new legislation to start when the current cert runs out, not suddenly for all now... Read More

To me, it’s absolutely clear I would buy her out to get her out instantly. If it’s only going to cost you, two months rent that sounds good. I’ve done it before and it always works sadly.... Read More

One room I have had to be cleaned and repainted twice in one year because the tenant did not do what is needed to prevent mould. She left. The next tenant did what was needed and there was no mould whatever after two years. Same room, susceptible to mould. Entirely down to tenant... Read More

Giving people a large discount because they are poor enough to live in a council property but rich enough to afford to take it on, and profit later all at the expense of the taxpayer is crazy... Read More

Of course many landlords have had to sell for all the reasons we all know which reduces the amount of property available to rent which of course forces up prices. I have sold several because of silly minimum room sizes or tax changes but the ones that remain the rents have increased, because of all these policies have forced prices up and obviously hit tenants. An attack on landlord is an attack on Tenant... Read More

So what happens if you are trying to sell, and bring in a tenant who knows this and is happy to leave if you sell, but if you don't sell the property is not empty?... Read More

The court system does not work in this country. In exactly the same circumstances the court took 6 weeks to write to the tenant telling them they had to leave in 14 days, i.e. 28 days before they wrote... Hence we always use the mis named no fault evictions. (actually should be the "no reason given")... Read More

I have a similar property with walls that do attract damp and mould. With one tenant I had to entirely repaint the room twice in one year after cleaning it. She left and was fine with the tenant the next tenant I explained the issue he kept it well ventilated and there was zero problem and zero damp and Mould. In my experience this is partly education and partly Tenant And little more... Read More

I assume this is a wind up. Nothing of course just part of life... Read More

Amazing, they put in arbitrary minimum room sizes for HMOs, to force permanently empty rooms, then find they are short of accomodation... Read More

Will be interested in other people's comments. Are they planning to do it up themselves? Personally I would refurbish myself, but if not I would do the roof and perhaps the windows if they are rotten. The EPC is a legal requirement to E, as is the EICR, so these are essential and would have to be done.... Read More

Wise words from above, esp NewYorkie. The courts are simply not fit for purpose. If it were me I would make him an offer he cannot refuse. (Money to get out)... Read More

We sold 3 flats evicting 12 tenants because of arbitrary minimum room sizes imposed by the 2 London councils, and country wide rules, meaning one room going forward had to remain permanently empty. Luckily for new tenants in one, I saw later that the new owner had (illegally) still let it out and even divided the biggest room into 2... Illegal but good for tenants. Not something I would risk.... Read More

And in HMO properties, remove the silly minimum room sizes, made worse by councils sometimes buy increasing the minimum room size. 20% of our properties had rooms just below the 6.52m so we had to sell rather than have a permanently empty room, evicting all tenants... Read More

I have used section 21 a number of times, perhaps 14. All for bad behaviour, nonpayment of rent, drug use. Or because the government have stupidly decided that there should be minimum Hmo room sizes, made worse by some councils, and I’ve had to evict all the tenants because we have had to sell the property rather than leave a room permanently empty... Read More

I can’t remember the specific article I read, but clearly most replacements are replacing something to a higher spec. For instance, a new boiler replacing a 30 year old one. Anyway, all of these are revenue items I believe.a loft extension of course and items like that are capital expenditure... Read More

My understanding is very clear, almost any replacement of new for old is inevitably an improvement. For instance double glazing I’ve had several I’ve done at £25,000 a pop on council properties. I wouldn’t these days replace single glazed with single glazed so it is inevitably an improvement.

It will do very little to the capital value of the property, but my understanding is very clearly, but it goes against revenue.

Or storage heaters for a complete central heating system. Again always against revenue. Yes of course it’s an improvement but it doesn’t really change the capital value of the house very much.... Read More